Chapter 43 Lu Fei's mech flattens Whiskey Mountain"What?!" Vivi felt as if she'd fallen into an ice cave. "Wasn't Mr. 9 supposed to beg for help to save me?"
"Save you? Hahaha, looks like you've been completely fooled. That guy is..." Miss Valentine covered her mouth, laughing uncontrollably.
Vivi looked at Luffy on the rooftop in disbelief: "You're the one who leaked the information to them?"
Luffy nodded matter-of-factly: "Of course! Otherwise, why would they obediently come to us?"
"You...you're in cahoots with them?!"
Vivi looked at Luffy in despair, feeling like the sky was falling.
Before Luffy could explain, Mr. 5 interrupted disdainfully:
"Stop patting yourself on the back. Hehe, that Straw Hat kid is on our assassination list too. Tonight, none of them will escape."
"These two look pretty arrogant. Should I go down and chop them down?"
Zoro picked at his ear, uninterested.
Luffy waved his hand: "Don't rush, it wasn't easy to gather so many people, they're our future labor force and wallets."
Zoro: "Huh?"
Luffy ignored Zoro, smiling and beckoning to the group of bounty hunters below: "Come on, everyone look at me, yes, that's it, everyone shout 'cheese'!"
Everyone looked up at Luffy in bewilderment, as if looking at an idiot.
Only Vivi seemed to sense something, turning her head away in horror, and quickly covering Icarus's eyes.
The next second, a strange red light suddenly shone in Luffy's left eye, and the bird mark flapped as if about to take flight.
"In the name of Monkey D. Luffy, I command—submit to me!"
"Yes, Your Highness!"
The once noisy square instantly fell silent, followed by the synchronized sound of knees slamming into the ground.
Hundreds of bounty hunters knelt in unison, one hand on their shoulder, their movements so precise it seemed they'd rehearsed countless times.
MR.5 frowned, his voice sharp as he roared, "Are you bastards trying to rebel? How dare you kneel before a wanted criminal!"
However, these subordinates, usually so subservient to him, now seemed like completely different people. They slowly raised their heads, their eyes bloodshot as they stared intently at MR.5, the weapons in their hands gleaming coldly.
"This... what kind of sorcery is this?"
Icarum, peeking through his fingers, was utterly stunned, his jaw nearly dropping to the floor. Luffy's words were more effective than any coercion or inducement.
Only Vivi breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed Luffy wasn't planning to defect.
MISS. Valentine floated in mid-air, her face grave: "This ability... it feels a bit like that little painter's suggestion!"
MISS. Goldenweek could use color to suggest emotions, but Luffy's move was clearly more domineering, directly turning these cowardly cowards into suicide bombers.
You know, these guys used to be terrified of even the unlucky duo, but now they dare to brandish weapons at high-ranking officers.
"Hey, what kind of weird trick is this? That's way too cheating!"
Zoro's lips twitched as he watched the bounty hunter army instantly turn from enemies to friends.
"Are you going to fight those two? If not, I'll do it myself."
Luffy pointed to the dumbfounded Mr. 5 and Valentine below.
"We have to fight! There's no way the captain can personally deal with these grunts. Let me at least stretch my muscles!"
Zoro slowly stood up, tied his bandana around his head, and his eyes sharpened.
"Damn it! Don't underestimate me!"
Mr. 5, upon hearing the word "grunts," flew into a rage.
Luffy casually waved his hand, and the hundreds of bounty hunters retreated in perfect unison behind Vivi, forming a human wall.
"Such... terrifying leadership!"
Icaram watched this scene, his heart filled with astonishment. This wasn't a pirate crew; it was an army with impeccable discipline.
"Commodore Luffy! What is your true purpose?"
Vivi shouted, still resentful that Luffy had leaked information to the enemy.
"I already told you, I'm here to save you villagers from your misery."
Luffy shrugged, looking innocent. "Besides, do you think these people wouldn't know you're a princess just because you didn't say so? Mr. 9 running into those two killers on the road was purely a plot device."
Mr. 9 nodded, clutching his wound. "Indeed, I bumped into them halfway there. Their mission was to clean house."
Vivi was shocked and exclaimed, "How could this be…"
"Stop muttering! There's a limit to looking down on people!"
Mr. 5 roared, picking a huge wad of snot from his nostril and flicking it at Zoro.
"Die! Nose Bomb!"
Zorro, still posing, instinctively raised his Wado Ichimonji to block.
Swish!
The indescribable wad of snot was instantly sliced in two by the sharp sword.
Boom! Boom!
A deafening explosion rang in Zoro's ears, flames shooting skyward.
MR.5 smugly declared, "How about that? I'm a Blast-Blast Fruit user! Any part of my body can explode!"
However, as the smoke cleared, he found Zoro staring at his sword with his mouth agape, utterly horrified.
"Damn it! My sword hit my nose with a booger!"
"Ugh—"
Zorro roared furiously at MR.5, his face ashen, "You pervert! Can you stop using such disgusting techniques! It's filthy, you bastard!"
MR.5 roared in fury, "How dare you insult my art? I'll let you eat your fill!"
With that, he unleashed a torrent of boogers from his nostrils like a machine gun, spraying them at Zoro.
"Holy shit! A booger rain is coming!"
Zorro screamed and fled in terror, too afraid to even try to catch it with his sword.
"Hahahaha!"
MISS Valentine floated lightly onto Luffy's head, her skirt billowing.
"How about that? Now you know how powerful we are, right? We're elites with superpowers, not on the same level as you country bumpkins!"
"A few more Marines are a bit troublesome, but against absolute power, they're just a matter of being crushed!"
MISS Valentine grinned maliciously, her body suddenly becoming incredibly heavy, plummeting towards Luffy like a meteorite.
Having eaten the Float-Float Fruit, she could freely change her weight, instantly increasing it to ten thousand kilograms!
Luffy slowly raised his head, his face expressionless as he watched the figure descend from the sky.
*BOOM—!*
With a deafening crash, MISS. Valentine, along with Luffy, smashed through the roof, instantly reducing the entire building to rubble.
MR.5 sneered, "The consequence of meddling. Your crewmates are probably crushed into mincemeat by now."
Zoro was still frantically yelling, "You bastard! Where did all that booger come from?! Don't you drink water?!"
Vivi, looking at the ruins, was frantic with worry: "Lord Luffy?!"
MISS. Valentine floated triumphantly back into the air, returning to MR.5's side: "Haha, this is the price for ignoring us!"
Vivi rushed into the ruins, frantically sifting through the rubble: "Luffy-kun! Are you alright?!"
Finally, in the center of the ruins, she saw Luffy lying unharmed, dazed on the ground.
"Luffy? What happened? Don't scare me!"
Vivi looked him up and down anxiously.
"If I hit you head-on with my 10,000-kilogram Mount Tai, even a god would break a bone, hahaha!" MISS. Valentine laughed heartily in mid-air.
However, Luffy's eyes focused, and he suddenly blurted out, "White."
Vivi: "Huh?"
MISS. Valentine's smile froze: "How could he still be alive?!"
Zoro, dodging a booger, rolled his eyes: "That guy's a rubber man, immune to physical attacks, you know? Don't even mention 10,000 kilograms, even if you added a zero, he wouldn't die."
"How can there be such a monster! Then why is he lying there pretending to be dead?" MISS. Valentine looked puzzled.
Vivi also asked, puzzled: "What white?"
"White bear-patterned panties..."
Luffy added seriously.
MISS. Valentine: "..."
The air froze for three seconds.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!"
A piercing scream rang out, and MISS. Valentine, her face flushed, clutched her skirt tightly.
Vivi's forehead veins throbbed: (╬￣皿￣)!!
Thump!
Vivi punched Luffy on the head without hesitation, roaring, "Don't be such a scoundrel at a time like this!"
"Lady Vivi, should we run away? These guys seem to have screws in their heads!" Icarum looked at Luffy, who was being shaken around like a rattle-drum by Vivi, and felt a bleak future.
"Trying to run away? Not so easy~"
At that moment, Nami's voice drifted over.
Icarum turned around and saw Nami and C.C. leisurely walking out from a corner of the ruins, carrying a stack of documents.
"Weren't you dead drunk?" Vivi asked in surprise.
Nami proudly waved the ledger in her hand: "Come on, in this crime den filled with the smell of money, how could I possibly be drunk? Just now, I turned your secret vault upside down. Tsk tsk, you're dirt poor."
Everyone: "..."
Vivi sighed and facepalmed: "There's nothing we can do; our funds have to be regularly handed over to the boss."
"So, that big boss is very rich?"
Nami's eyes instantly turned into the symbol of Beli, shining frighteningly bright.
Vivi was speechless. Was this woman's focus off?
At this moment, Luffy dusted himself off and walked over to Nami's side.
"Of course, Baroque Works is a transnational criminal organization that combines intelligence gathering, assassination, and robbery."
"All their agents only obey their codenames; they have no idea who the boss is. Their ultimate goal is to establish an ideal nation, and then everyone becomes a high-ranking official."
Luffy chuckled as he explained to Nami.
Vivi's pupils dilated in shock: "How do you even know such top-secret information? I went undercover for two years and only found out the tip of the iceberg!"
Luffy stroked his chin, suddenly revealing a strange smile: "Because… I am Zero! Mr. 0!"
Vivi stumbled back three steps in fright: "Impossible! Crocodile is clearly…"
Thump!
Another muffled sound.
Nami withdrew her fist and rolled her eyes at Luffy: "Don't scare little girls."
Luffy rubbed his head, his expression instantly changing: "Just kidding, but I wasn't wrong. Another purpose of coming here is to acquire Baroque Works as a whole."
As he spoke, Luffy pulled a black mask from somewhere and put it on: "This is fate."
Nami looked at him suspiciously: "Why do you need a criminal organization like this? We're the Marines, okay?"
Luffy, unusually serious, put away his playful demeanor: "Although we wear the Marine's skin, the World Government is a murky pool. To achieve true freedom, you need the confidence to overturn the table."
"Life is full of ties. How can I protect everyone by myself? So I need to build a massive force, with money and manpower, and then I'll set the rules."
Luffy's words sent a jolt through Vivi and Nami; it sounded like a rebellion was brewing.
"You're starting a revolution?!"
Vivi screamed, her voice so loud it even stunned Mr. 5 on the other end.
Luffy shook his finger: "Revolution? Leave that hard work to my cheapskate dad. What I'm doing is resource consolidation. You can't imagine the joys of being a rich kid. I just need to utilize the resources at hand, and use them to my advantage, understand?"
"Uh… never mind, you're too naive to understand. Simply put, it's about waiting for those old guys to pave the way, then I'll just take over."
"Right now, it's about building up some bargaining chips with them."
Vivi was completely bewildered. Nami turned to him and asked, "Did you understand?"
Vivi honestly shook her head: "Not at all, it just seems really powerful."
Nami: ╯‵□)╯︵┻━┻!
"It's okay if you don't understand. Just know that controlling this organization will not only reform them, but also net you tons of Berries." Luffy accurately hit Nami's sore spot.
Sure enough, upon hearing about money, Nami immediately raised her hands and feet in agreement.
She shouted at Zoro, who was still jumping up and down in the distance: "Zoro! Go easy on him! Those are our future cash cows, don't break them!"
Zoro, who was dodging a snot attack, was furious: "Mind your own business! Whoever wants this disgusting stuff can have it!"
"Hahahaha!"
MISS. Valentine covered her mouth, laughing until tears streamed down her face, "If people knew that a dignified Marine Supernova actually wanted to overthrow the World Government, he'd probably be hanging tomorrow, right?"
MR.5 grinned maliciously, "Our mission was simply to kill Princess Vivi. Since you're courting death, then so be it!"
Luffy, watching Zoro running around frantically because of boogers, yelled impatiently, "You green-haired moss, are you even capable?! How long are you going to take to clear out two grunts?!"
Zoro screamed in despair, "If you're so capable, you do it! This guy's covered in boogers, I can't even bring myself to stab him!"
"Fine! I'll do it!"
The red light on Luffy's mask suddenly intensified: "Come forth—Mirage!"
"What?!?"
MR.5, Valentine, Vivi, and Icarus instantly widened their eyes like saucers, staring intently at the enormous thing that had appeared out of nowhere.
"A mecha?! A mecha?!"
MISS. Valentine screamed, her voice cracking.
A gigantic, futuristic-looking, jet-black mecha crashed to the ground, its cockpit canopy automatically popping open. Luffy leaped inside.
"I haven't really had a chance to use it much yet, so I'll use you two as practice."
MR.5 and Valentine, looking at the obviously out-of-place war machine before them, swallowed hard.
"Boo-bluff! I'm not afraid of you!"
MR.5 roared, his voice trembling with fear. "I'm a bomb man who can detonate even air!"
"Hmm..."
Inside the cockpit, Luffy stared blankly at the rows and rows of densely packed buttons.
In his past life, he thought Lelouch's keyboard skills were incredibly cool in anime, but actually using it, he realized it was harder than piloting a spaceship, completely different from those neurally connected mechs.
"Um... we didn't bring the manual. Is it this red one?"
"Uh... it looks like the self-destruct button."
"This one? Doesn't look like it either."
Everyone stared blankly as the imposing "Mirage" stood still, doing calisthenics like a madman, showing no intention of attacking.
Mr. 5 felt his intelligence insulted: "This is outrageous! Die! Nose Bomb!"
He took a deep breath, rubbed out a giant booger the size of a basketball, and slammed it into the mecha.
BOOM—!
A massive explosion instantly engulfed the "Mirage."
"Mr. Luffy!!" Vivi gasped, covering her mouth.
"That idiot..." Zoro covered his face with one hand, unable to bear the sight.
Mr. 5 sneered smugly: "Playing tricks, this is what happens!"
"Ah, found it, it's this combination key."
Luffy's calm voice came from within the flames.
"How is this possible!"
Mr. 5's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. As the smoke cleared, a hexagonal energy shield floated unscathed in front of the "Mirage."
Absolute Protection Domain!
This was an invincible defense generated through precise calculations, a system only a high-IQ monster like Lelouch could master.
But Luffy, equipped with the Lelouch template, broke through it in just a few dozen seconds.
The Devil Fruit's explosion didn't even cause the light shield to tremble.
The next moment, the light shield dissipated, and the mecha's chest abruptly flipped open, revealing a massive diamond-shaped crystal prism.
A blinding purple laser beam shot out, and to everyone's horrified gaze, the beam struck the prism, instantly refracting and shattering.
Countless destructive purple beams rained down indiscriminately in all directions, obliterating buildings like paper in their wake.
Boom boom boom boom boom—!
In an instant, the entire town of Whiskey Peak was razed to the ground, leaving only a smoking ruin.
Everyone: "..."
Luffy: "Oops, slip of the hand, wrong mode..."
"Idiot! Are you trying to blast us all away?!"
In the ruins, Zoro, with his afro and charred face, roared at the mecha, his sword trembling.
The Diffusion Construct Phase Transfer Cannon is incredibly computationally demanding; even a slight miscalculation results in a map-wide barrage. Clearly, Luffy's current computing power isn't sufficient for precise targeting, and the unluckiest Zoro almost got taken out by a stray bullet.
Luffy awkwardly amplified his voice: "An accident, purely an accident. Give me another chance, this time I'll definitely focus all the beams on them."